Officials with Formula Academy—the Formula 1-backed all-female driver series—have confirmed five teams will compete during its inaugural season, which opens in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, on April 28–29.

Current F2 and F3 teams (ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Carlin, MP Motorsport, and PREMA Racing) will enter three cars each to make up a 15-car grid. The first season will comprise of seven events with three races each—a total of 21 races—plus 15 days of testing.

Drivers will compete in a Tatuus T421 chassis with Autotecnica-supplied turbocharged engines delivering 165 hp to F1 partner Pirelli tires. 

Susie Wolff will serve as the managing director of the series, which aims to develop and prepare young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. F1 Academy offers access to more track time, racing, and testing—plus the opportunity to work with professional teams that will help them develop the technical, physical, and mental preparation skills needed for elite competition.

For more information, including the 2023 schedule and team driver lineups, visit f1academy.com.

Jasper, Indiana-based Meyer Distributing has announced the addition of its Hanover, Maryland, cross-dock. The facility will have a direct feed from Meyer’s Pennsylvania distribution hub. 

“We are investing heavily in the Northeast as our focal point for 2023,” said Jeff Braun, CEO of Meyer. “We have increased our Northeast warehousing footprint from 180,000 to 425,000 sq. ft. in the past four months with plans to add substantially more soon. We will be opening a host of new sites to significantly improve delivery service, and we’re looking forward to getting all these improvements in place and settled in.” 

Meyer Distributing is an automotive specialty products marketing and distribution company with numerous warehousing facilities. It serves customers nationwide via Meyer Logistics direct shipping.

For more information, visit meyerdistributing.com.

Dodge has introduced the 1,025hp 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, the automaker’s seventh and final “Last Call” special-edition model. 

With its 945 lbs.-ft. (at 4,200 rpm) production HEMI engine, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is designed to reach 60 mph in 1.66 seconds and feature the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs.

The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the quickest vehicle ever produced in the brand’s 100-plus-year history, according to Dodge, and also the first factory production car to run the quarter-mile in less than nine seconds with an NHRA-certified 8.91-second ET at 151.17 mph. On the drag strip, the Challenger SRT Demon 170 receives an NHRA violation letter for running a sub-nine-second quarter-mile without a safety cage or parachute, following in the footsteps of the original Demon, which was also banned from NHRA quarter-miles.

“To celebrate the end of the HEMI muscle car era, we pulled off all the governors to reach a new level, a new benchmark of ‘factory-crazy’ production car performance,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand CEO–Stellantis.

For the complete details, see the Dodge Garage announcement here or visit dodgegarage.com.

South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP), the drag racing facility in Adel, Georgia, has been sold to Raul and Jennifer Torres. The 1/4-mile drag strip was previously owned by Ozzy and Maria Moya, who purchased the track in 2015. The Moyas will continue to run Orlando Speed World in Orlando, Florida.

“Raul and Jennifer are local business owners in Valdosta (Georgia) with a great history of running very successful businesses. We believe that, at this time in our lives, this is the best decision for our family,” said Ozzy and Maria Moya in a joint statement. “SGMP is in great hands, and we are excited to see all the great improvements that are planned already by the Torres’.”

SGMP opens its 2023 season on Saturday, March 25, with an ET points bracket race followed by drifting on Saturday and Sunday, April 8–9. The track is also widely known for the Duck X Productions events like Battle of the Thrones (set for October 9–11 this year) and No Mercy (October 12–15). 

The purchase is expected to close next month, according to published reports.

For more information, visit goracesgmp.com.

The PRI and SEMA legislative team will provide the industry with an update on the association’s advocacy efforts during an open virtual meeting on Friday, March 31, at 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET.

All members and industry professionals are invited to join the meeting, where they will gain an understanding of how the government affairs team in Washington, D.C., is advocating for the industry and its businesses.

Attendees will receive federal and state updates, specifically on the RPM Act, and an overview of the advocacy communications strategy they aim to utilize.

Sign up here to register for the event and receive a recording of the meeting afterward. 

Polaris Off Road has unveiled a purpose-built race-ready UTV named the RZR Pro R Factory. Based on its RZR Pro R platform, RZR Pro R Factory is engineered for the grueling demands of open-desert racing and also provides a powerful centerpiece for its Polaris Factory Racing team.

Four Pro R Factory vehicles have been developed for the Polaris Factory Racing team, with the debut set for the SCORE International San Felipe 250, March 28–April 2. 

“Harkening back to the days when automotive OEMs developed factory-engineered, race-ready trophy trucks for their factory off-road racing programs, Polaris is doing the same with RZR Pro R Factory and breaking entirely new ground for the UTV racing class,” a company rep stated in a release.  

For the complete details, visit the Polaris announcement here or visit polaris.com.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to defeat a PRI- and SEMA-opposed bill, one that would have required the Granite State to adopt California’s low- and zero-emissions vehicle standards and ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars starting in 2035.

PRI and SEMA believe that New Hampshire’s residents, not the government, should decide what vehicles are best for them and their families.

New Hampshire’s rejection of California’s vehicle emissions rules comes on the heels of Colorado proposing a modified version of the Golden State’s standards that would not include an internal combustion engine (ICE) ban.

For more information, contact Christian Robinson at christianr@sema.org.

Photo courtesy of Porsche Motorsports North America, IMSA

Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and Deluxe Corporation have announced the creation of the Porsche Deluxe Female Driver Development Program, an initiative designed to provide a further opportunities to female race car drivers participating in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America.

Officials named Sabré Cook as the first recipient of the new scholarship. The two-time Carrera Cup North America championship-winning operation will field the veteran open-wheel and GT racer in the No. 37 Deluxe Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.

In addition to its title partnership, Deluxe joins with PMNA to further promote the participation of female race car drivers across all levels of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America. In addition, PMNA will assist Cook with event entry fees and one-on-one mentoring with Porsche Motorsport legend Patrick Long.

For more information, see the PMNA announcement here or visit porschemotorsportna.com.

The inaugural class for the IMSA Hall of Fame has been selected and includes four drivers, three IMSA founders, and four iconic race cars from throughout the sanctioning body’s 54-year history.

The inductees will be honored as part of October’s WeatherTech Night of Champions held following the Motul Petit Le Mans season finale at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, to celebrate the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and crown series champions.

The four drivers selected for induction into the inaugural IMSA Hall of Fame class—Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert, and Scott Pruett—were multiple-time IMSA champions and multi-time winners of the world’s most prestigious sports car races. Joining the inaugural IMSA Hall of Fame class are the three founders of the International Motor Sports Association: John and Peggy Bishop and Bill France Sr.

In addition, four iconic race cars—the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Ferrari 333 SP, Mazda RX-7 GTU, and the Porsche 962—have also been selected for enshrinement.

“These seven individuals and four race cars are the epitomes of excellence in IMSA and global sports car racing,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “There can only be one inaugural class, and each of these inductees unquestionably qualifies as a ‘First Ballot Hall of Famer.’ We could not be prouder to welcome John and Peggy, ‘Big Bill,’ Peter, Hurley, Al, and Scott—as well as the C5-R, 333 SP, RX-7 GTU, and 962—into the IMSA Hall of Fame.”

For more information, visit the IMSA announcement here or visit imsa.com.

Image courtesy of CMHF

The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF), based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has inducted twelve individuals and one organization to its Class of 2022.

Eleven individuals and one race team will be inducted in the Competitors/Motorsport Builders/Team Members/Significant Contributors category, with a veteran Canadian journalist honored in the Media category.

“We’re pleased to announce this year’s group of new inductees. The quality of the nominations was excellent. I would like to personally thank the members of the Independent Selection Committee—headed by our Chairman Emeritus Dr. Hugh Scully—for their excellent work done reviewing and scoring the nominations.”

The new members in the various categories are:

COMPETITORS / BUILDERS / TEAM MEMBERS / SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS:

• AIM Autosport • Uli Bieri • Chris Bye

• Gary Elliott • Terry Epp • Robert Giannou

• Carl Harr • Dave Lloyd • Derek Lynch

• Bob MacDonald • Dick Midgley • Scott Spencer

• Russ Urlin

MEDIA:

• Bruce Biegler

For more information, visit cmhf.ca.